DISCIPLE

 by William MacDonald,  from his book ONE DAY AT A TIME,  the daily reading for October 1st “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” ( James 4:14 ) The insistent voice of the Holy Spirit reminds mortal man frequently in the Scriptures of the brevity of his life. By the repeated use of similes, the Spirit of the Lord impresses on us that our days are limited and passing swiftly. For instance, He likens life to a weaver’s shuttle ( Job 7:6 ), the device that darts back and forth in the loom almost faster than the eye can follow. Job speaks of life as wind ( Job 7:7 ), here one minute and gone the next, never to return. The psalmist echoes the sentiment, speaking of “a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again” ( Psa. 78:39 ). Bildad unnecessarily reminds Job that “our days on earth are a shadow” ( Job 8:9 ), a picture that is repeated in Psalm 102:11 , “My days are like a shadow that declineth.” ...

Life at best is very brief, Like the falling of a leaf, Like the binding of a sheaf, Be in time. Fleeting days are telling fast That the die will soon be cast, And the fatal line be passed, Be in time. Refrain: Be in time, be in time, While the voice of Jesus calls you, be in time. If in sin you longer wait, You may find no open gate, And your cry be just too late, be in time. Fairest flowers soon decay, Youth and beauty pass away, Oh, you have not long to stay, Be in time. While God’s Spirit bids you come, Sinner, do no longer roam, Lest you seal your helpless doom, Be in time. Refrain Time is gliding swiftly by, Death and judgment draweth nigh, To the arms of Jesus fly, Be in time. Oh, I pray you count the cost, Ere the fatal line be crossed, And your soul in hell be lost, Be in time. Refrain Sinner, heed the warning voice, Make the Lord your final choice, Then all Heaven will rejoice, Be in time. Come ...